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"After the helicopter landed on the ground it tilted on its side and hit its passengers with its rotor blades," it said. "The pilot was also injured."

A spokesman for the British embassy in Moscow confirmed the death of two British citizens but said he could not reveal the identities of the men or the circumstances of the crash while relatives were being informed.

A company called Atlantic Salmon Reserve runs an isolated fishing camp with comfortable cabins called Rynda Lodge on the river of the same name.

The company could not be contacted for comment on Sunday.

Justin Maxwell Stuart, who runs UK-based travel agency Where Wise Men Fish, has organised tours to the camp in the past. He said: "It's awful news. As far as I know this is the first such incident with a helicopter since fishing began on the Kola Peninsula."

Fly fishing in the Kola Peninsula, Russia

Ally Gowans, a fly fishing instructor from Pitlochry in Scotland who visited Rynda Lodge last month, said: "They have a resident Eurocopter at the camp which the pilot uses to ferry guests – usually two anglers and a guide – to their fishing beat for the day.

"The camp is tremendously well run. I was very impressed with how careful they were about safety and the pilot was exceptionally good.